SCHOTT solutions no. 2/2014 > Architecture

The glittering department store

SCHOTT NARIMA® renovates the façade of the Printemps department store in Paris.

Fabienne Bosle

The luxury department store Printemps Hausmann is one of the main sightseeing stops for Parisian tourists along with the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum and Notre Dame. The store is located on Boulevard Haussmann near the Saint-Lazare train station. When Jules Jaluzot opened Le Printemps in 1865, he insisted that it should be new, fresh and beautiful – and therefore worthy of bearing the name Printemps, which is French for ”Spring.” Even today, Le Printemps is something special that offers its visitors well-known fashion brands and beauty products in three buildings that cover 43,500 square meters.

Renovations were recently completed, and, according to the principle of its founder, the store was revealed fresher than ever in the spring of 2013. This project was realized with the help of several companies, including ACPV as its design agency, Gabor Mester de Parajd as the architectural firm, SLH Ingénierie for technical matters, Af2m for the structure and, last but not least, SCHOTT France for the glass façade.

The façade of the seven-floor men's store was renovated and is an Art Deco masterpiece. This architectural style is characterized by lavish ornamentation and a love of luxurious materials such as bronze or glass. During the renovation, 12,000 pieces of SCHOTT NARIMA® color effect façade glass in gold-blue were used, which created a luxurious mosaic. The windows of the department store will be illuminated every year during the Christmas season, which will make them come alive and attract more than 10 million visitors.

Like a rainbow

NARIMA® is available in six different color variations: gold-blue, blue-green, green, may green, yellow and orange. The dichroic glass reflects some colors while allowing others to pass through. ”The department store Printemps is a real eye-catcher – perfect harmony between history and the modern age. From the outside, people enjoy the golden reflections. Inside the store, they appreciate the soothing blue,” explains Catherine Chabriere, Area Sales Manager at SCHOTT France.

NARIMA® is a float glass that is coated with various layers of metal oxides in a dip-coating process and then cured in an oven at over 500 °C using an automated process. These extremely thin layers of metal create the characteristic rainbow effect of the glass, while making it hard, scratch resistant, and chemically resistant, ensuring a long-lasting and low-maintenance product. <